Sgt. 1st Class Tilton Washington, a detailed recruiter in the Myrtle Beach Recruiting Station in S.C., is the United States Army Recruiting Command’s Recruiter of the Year.
Washington has been in the Army for 14 years serving as an ammunition supply sergeant and for the last three years as an Army recruiter. He was first chosen to represent his company and went on to win the Columbia Recruiting Battalion Recruiter of the Year title and then advanced to represent the entire 2nd Recruiting Brigade. After that selection, he won the final competition. He has now been chosen the USAREC Recruiter of the Year, representing the entire command which is not a feat usually accomplished by a recruiter who has only been with USAREC for three years.
Washington spent countless hours preparing for the competition and winning the award was something he wanted to achieve very badly. While this award is essentially given to the individual recruiter, he attributes his success to his team and his commanding officers and non-commissioned officers who embraced him with open arms and supported him on every step of his journey. “Winning these types of awards is a team thing. Having a strong team helps you to succeed in these types of situations. I attribute all of my success to my team and (Columbia Recruiting Battalion) Command Sgt. MaJ. Stephen Bowens for believing in me and knowing that I was capable of winning this award for our brigade.” His family, spouse Berin and daughter Alicia, also played a major role in his success with their unwavering support. “Not only the time I set aside to prepar for the board but also as I was completing 15 semester hours at Columbia Southern University,” he said.
Washington’s time as a recruiter will soon be coming to an end as he returns to the main stream army to lead soldiers in the Second Infantry, Third Brigade at Fort Lewis, Washington. “My time as a recruiter has been outstanding. There is no feeling greater than giving qualified applicants the opportunity of a lifetime. I feel that I have fully maximized my time as a United States Army Recruiter and could not ask for more from this experience.” He will not only take this award with him from his time with USAREC but Washington says he will take the amazing work ethic he learned in recruiting and the leadership traits he learned from the outstanding leaders he was privileged to work under in his time here.
Washington’s amazing story should send that message that the soldiers of USAREC can accomplish great things and that spending time as a recruiter can truly be the beginning of an exciting journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment